A Guide to Choose your First Bouncy, Chewy Refreshment—Bubble Tea

For decades, tea has been the most favored drink by most of the beverage lovers across the globe. Many exhilarating types and flavors of tea are available in the market to calm your senses and give a refreshing kick. Bubble tea is one of the most popular variant of tea invented in Taiwan and is trending across the world.

Let me first walk you around what exactly is a bubble tea.

What comes across one’s mind after hearing ‘bubble tea’? Bubble tea is a bracing cup of creamy, sweet, chewy refreshment — which is also called “pearl milk tea”. It is a type of refreshing and flavored fruit tea and milk tea either served ice cold or piping hot with chewy tapioca pearls/balls that can be sucked up using a big thick straw! Sounds yummy, isn’t it?

This tea is like a quirky snack cum drink option! The tapioca pearls/balls are sometimes referred to as ‘Boba’, which with time has transformed in to the word ‘Bubble’. However, the real origin of the name ‘bubble tea’ comes from numerous, tiny floating bubbles that are formed owing to the continuous shaking involved in the preparation of this tea.

By now, most of you must be surely willing to try bubble tea. There are many people out there who are interested about bubble tea, but are confused which one to try owing to the several variants available in the market. This article will guide you and explain about the things you must know before ordering your first bubble tea.

What are Different Types of Bubble Tea?

Some common kinds of bubble tea that are easily available in almost every tea house’s menu car are as follows:

• Milk Tea: In this type, a unique combination of milk, brewed black tea, and (optional) tapioca pearls is offered.
• Thai Tea: In this type, a quirky combination of strong black tea and sweetened condensed milk and some (optional) tapioca pearls is served.
• Taro Bubble Tea: In this type, puréed taro, a purple root alike sweet potato that has a toasty, sweet taste is added to tea to create a purple colored bubble tea.
• Fruit Tea: In this type, fresh fruit juices are added to the tea along with your choice of tapioca pearls.

Types of Tea in Bubble Tea

While buying bubble tea, the first thing to ponder is the kind of tea to be added in your cup of tea. Most of bubble teas are prepared using green tea, black tea, or oolong tea.

Green Tea: Mainly jasmine green tea and green tea powders like matcha are widely used in bubble teas.

Black Tea (also called as red tea in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan): It is the most popular option in bubble tea until today.

White Tea: Comparatively white tea is widely used option in some Western countries, and is rarely used in bubble tea in Taiwan region.

Oolong Tea: Regular oolong tea is a commonly used option as it is another favorite for many bubble tea lovers.

Types of Milk in Bubble Tea

Milk and milk substituting ingredients are usually added in bubble teas to add a creamy texture and taste. Various flavors and types of dairy as well as dairy-like products can be added in bubble teas. 

• Sweetened condensed milk
• Non-dairy creamer
• Fresh milk
• Soy milk
• Lactose-free milk
• Coconut milk
• Calpis and similar yogurt-like drinks

Some of the bubble teas, especially the tart fruit-flavored bubble teas do not add milk as the acidity of the fruit juices can sour the milk.

The notion of bubble tea is spreading hastily in various nations. Ever since the initial days of its invention, this delicious drink has become a science owing to the type of stringent rules used in its formation. After back-breaking research and analysis many variants of bubble tea have been introduced by various tea manufacturers.

Nowadays, this tea has become a go-to drink not just in Taiwan but also across Asian, North American, and European countries, which is fueling the growth of the global bubble tea market. However, the closure of restaurants and cafes during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the availability of bubble teas, which is obstructing the market growth.

Key Takeaway Message!

Keep in mind that balance of all types of nutrients and fats is the key to healthy living. There is nothing erroneous to enjoy your favorite bubble tea as an occasional treat, so enjoy it to the fullest and don’t feel guilty for the calories you gulp in! There are also some brands that offer organic soy and organic milk options for bubble teas for health conscious people.

So why wait? Get ready to go on a bubble tea treat.  It's always better to go along with a friend or family—mostly to tell them to get different flavors of bubble tea so that you can take a sip of what they order and enjoy different varieties.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.